Regiment to move from barracks
ARMY regiments are being moved from their long-standing home near Hinckley.
It has finally been confirmed by the Ministry of Defence that the 30 Signal Regiment and the Queens Gurkha Signals regiment will be moved to Stafford.
It is news that will bring upset to many as the regiments are set to leave Gamecock Barracks in Bramcote in 2020.
In 2002 the 30th Signals regiment, including the Gurkhas, was given what is Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s highest accolade – the Freedom of the Borough.
Six years later, in 2008, the regiment marched through the town, greeted by hundreds of proud townsfolk, and the regiment exercised its right to parade through town again in July 2015
The loss of the two regiments will be a ‘ sad day’, according to councillor Dennis Harvey, borough council leader.
“Due to our long association with the 30th Signal Regiment I am sure I would echo the strong feelings of most people in the borough by saying this would be a sad day,” he said.
“There is a special relationship with the regiment locally and any such move would be seen as very upsetting.”
The Times’ sister paper, the Nuneaton News, made repeated requests for details via the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) since March last year to find out the fate of the regiments.
Now the move, which forms part of the Ministry of Defence’s estate optimisation programme, has been confirmed.
“The Defence Estate Optimisa- tion programme is now under way to address the estate rationalisation activity outlined in the Better Defence Estate announcement last year,” the statement read.
“One of the principles behind the programme is to seek consolidation into specific centres of gravity and specialisation, in order to better support the delivery of military capability.
“The intended collocation of a number of signals capabilities, including 30 Signal Regiment, into Stafford is part of the current plan.
“However, the plan remains subject to detailed assessment and delivery, so further change is possible.”
It is not known if the move will have an impact on the huge Gurkha community in the borough, which is one of the biggest in the country.
It is understood that between 250 and 300 Gurkhas have settled in Nuneaton and Bedworth, largely due to the connection with the nearby barracks.